Abuja — The Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, Uche Orji has said that about 30,000 Nigerians spent $1 billion annually on medical tourism. Orji disclosed this while speaking at a side session of the just concluded World Economic Forum on Africa, organised by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, PWC. He said opportunities abound in the Nigerian healthcare sector for private sector participation, if the affluent class had the will and determination to end the capital flight and invest the money back in the local economy.
Updated 5 Years ago

Ngala (Borno) – The Borno State Government on Sunday said it planned to rebuild about 400 shops destroyed during last Monday’s attack by suspected Boko Haram insurgents at the Ngala Central Market. Gov. Kashim Shettima made the promise when he paid a sympathy visit to the market, which is located at the headquarters of the Gamboru-Ngala Local Government Area of the state. He said government would also assist the traders with some money to enable them go back to business.
Updated 5 Years ago

Sterling Bank Plc has stressed that an improvement in the quality of infrastructure in the country will boost the operations of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs). Executive Director, Sterling Bank, Mr. Abubakar Suleiman said this in an interview with journalists at a seminar organised by the banks for SME operators that was held in Lagos recently.
Updated 5 Years ago

The Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer designate of Skye Bank Plc. Mr. Timothy Oguntayo, has said that for Africa to achieve sustainable economic growth there is need for the faithful and committed implementation of the ongoing reforms across the continent. He also stressed the need for improved governance, political stability in the continent to drive growth.
Updated 5 Years ago

A 24-hour curfew has been imposed in Kachia, the headquarters of Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State following clashes between Muslims and Christian youths in the area. The incident was said to have led to the burning and demolition of churches and mosques in the area. It was gathered that trouble started when some Muslim youths went to fence a prayer-ground known as “Idi” to prevent encroachment only to discover that a part of the fence which was earlier renovated the previous day, was demolished by unknown persons.
Updated 5 Years ago

The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has clarified issues regarding the altercation on May 8 between the popular musician, Mr. David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, and its staff at the Murtala Muhammadu International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, over the absence of the Nigerian visa on his American passport. The Public Relations Officer with the NIS, Mr. Chukwuemeka Obua, in a statement yesterday, debunked the allegation that Davido was denied an exit permit because he refused to bribe the immigration officials at the airport. Giving a detailed account of what transpired between NIS staff and the Skelewu crooner, Obua said he had approached immigration officials at the airport on the fateful day with the intention of travelling out of the country and presented a US passport with number 460918874 issued by the US State of Georgia on December 14, 2009 and valid till December 13, 2019.
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The violent sect, Boko Haram and other groups in northern Nigeria received $3m from Osama bin Laden in 2002, according to a report by some United States intelligence analysts. Bin Laden was said to have dispatched an aide to Nigeria to hand out the seed money in naira to a wide array of Salafist political organisations that shared al Qaeda’s goal of imposing Islamic rule.
Updated 5 Years ago

The United Kingdom hinted on Sunday that it could send troops to Nigeria if requested by President Goodluck Jonathan as part of efforts to rescue the over 200 female pupils abducted by Boko Haram insurgents from their school hostel in Chibok, Borno State on April 14. Prime Minister David Cameron made this known just as Pope Francis prayed for the safe rescue of the girls. Cameron, who has also joined the growing list of global personalities that have enlisted in the ‘‘Bring Back Our Girls,’’ social media campaign, said while featuring on the British Broadcasting Corporation’s Andrew Marr show, that Britain “will do what we can” to help find the female pupils.”
Updated 5 Years ago

A national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, has said the Peoples Democratic Party can only win the Ekiti governorship election by rigging. He added that the PDP was aware that it could only win the state by manipulating the election because the party had not presented an alternative manifesto to challenge the ruling APC government in the state.
Updated 5 Years ago

Can anything make buyers trust real estate agents? A new startup for the housing industry is hoping its service will do just that. Giveback Homes, which launched in August, is a network of real estate agents, home builders, mortgage brokers and interior designers. Members pay $50 each month to get listed on Giveback Homes’ website and receive marketing support. Individuals then decide how much, and how frequently, they want to donate to a good cause—an amount that is typically cut from commissions they earn by helping to buy or sell a home, for example. All of the donations—$56,000 raised, to date—have been passed on to the nonprofit group Habitat For Humanity to help build 12 homes in Nicaragua and put toward future houses set for Dallas and Los Angeles.
Updated 5 Years ago